« Mercedes to manufacture gasoline/natural gas powered vehicle in Thailand | Main | Welcome wireless VoIP »
December 27, 2005
Honda to reduce price gap between regular and hybrid Civic models
Honda Motor Co., the world's second- largest maker of gas-electric hybrid cars, announced that it plans cut the excess cost of so-called hybrid models of the Civic by a third within 5 years, as it phases out the gasoline-powered version in some markets including Japan according to a report by Bloomberg.
The additional cost of using a hybrid system to run Honda's Civic compact car will fall by a third to $1,702 each, as development costs are halved.
A hybrid vehicle combines a gasoline engine with an electric motor. At low speeds and during acceleration, the motor powers the vehicle and the gasoline engine kicks in as the car gains speed. The battery pack for the motor is charged by the gasoline engine and by power regenerated whenever the brake is applied.
Honda's Civic Hybrid can go as far as 31 kilometers on a liter of gasoline, double the average mileage of a comparable model that runs on a conventional gasoline engine. Toyota's Prius, the world's best-selling hybrid car, is rated with 35.5 kilometers per liter in city driving while Honda's Insight Hybrid can travel 36 kilometers on a liter of gasoline.
Posted by admin at December 27, 2005 01:08 PM